I love the diversity of San Francisco restaurants. This week showed me how Japanese flavors are being incorporated into our dining scene. While I had Southern, Chinese and Italian food, most of my meals had an Asian flair, whether it was at two Japanese-inspired steak houses or the Japanese-inspired cooking of Ron Siegel at Michael Mina.

Photo #1: Probably my single favorite dish during the week was the huge Madagascan tiger prawn ($30) flavored with a spicy paste of yuzu, chile and salt at Roka Akor. The shellfish was about a foot long, with as much meat as you’ll find in a lobster tail. It was cut into about a dozen chunks and simply served in the shell. The flavor was sweeter and more delicate than any prawn I’ve tasted.

#2: While not as pristine, I also enjoyed the king crab leg appetizer ($23) at 5A5 Steak Lounge. The legs were split and the flesh brushed with a chile infused glaze with garlic and butter.

#3: I’d suggest the fixed-price menu at Michael Mina, but there are also lots of a la carte options. One of my favorites is the king crab tortelloni ($22) with baby shiitake mushrooms, peas, lime and a hint of anise.

#4: At Dixiein the Presidio, I remain a fan of Joseph Humphrey’s chicken-fried quail ($15), served with roasted trumpet mushrooms, shaved apples and bourbon butter, and decorated with nasturtium blossoms.

#5: I finally made it to Farina Pizza on Valencia and was impressed with the romano ($15) a puffy, blistered pizza from the wood oven with tomato, mozzarella, romano cheese and anchovy.